Teach them well and let them lead the way
Yesterday I literally did not have 5 minutes to myself. Up and straight off to work, then needed to leave work early in time to pick up my daughter and her friend to drive 2.5 hours to take her to see a gig. I wouldn't normally drive that far but I know that this is a special artist for her, someone she connects with in a way that perhaps you only can when you're a teenager.
After the gig she was faced with a dilemma. She really wanted some tour merchandise but she also wanted to wait at the back entrance to try and meet this person who meant so much to her. Go for the merch, and the queue at the back entrance would be so long she'd never meet her. Go for the meeting and the merch stand would be long closed by the time she came out. Of course the singer might not come out at all!
She went to try and meet her hero and after an hour stood waiting at the front of the queue, finally she was successful. She got to spend a couple of minutes chatting to her and got the obligatory selfie and then both her and her friend were buzzing for the entire drive home. "I'd much rather have that memory than a T-shirt and a hat" she informed me, "and you always keep going on about how experiences are better than buying things."
I smiled at that and didn't mind getting to bed at 2am, nor did I mind not being able to participate in the 30 Day Minimalist Challenge that day. I don't think she's going to become a minimalist any time soon (you should see her room) but 'experientialism' might just have a new recruit.
[For more on Experientialism I would recommend the excellent Stuffocation by James Wallman]
After the gig she was faced with a dilemma. She really wanted some tour merchandise but she also wanted to wait at the back entrance to try and meet this person who meant so much to her. Go for the merch, and the queue at the back entrance would be so long she'd never meet her. Go for the meeting and the merch stand would be long closed by the time she came out. Of course the singer might not come out at all!
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| Dad waited in an aptly named local bar |
She went to try and meet her hero and after an hour stood waiting at the front of the queue, finally she was successful. She got to spend a couple of minutes chatting to her and got the obligatory selfie and then both her and her friend were buzzing for the entire drive home. "I'd much rather have that memory than a T-shirt and a hat" she informed me, "and you always keep going on about how experiences are better than buying things."
I smiled at that and didn't mind getting to bed at 2am, nor did I mind not being able to participate in the 30 Day Minimalist Challenge that day. I don't think she's going to become a minimalist any time soon (you should see her room) but 'experientialism' might just have a new recruit.
[For more on Experientialism I would recommend the excellent Stuffocation by James Wallman]
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